Scientists suspect the first complete specimen ever recorded is one of the rarest in the world whale died of head injuries, an expert said Friday.
The first dissection of a beaked whale, a species of beaked whale, was completed last week after painstaking examination at a research center near the New Zealand city of Dunedin, the local people leading the scientific team, Te Rūnanga Ōtākou, said in a statement from the New Zealand Department of Conservation.
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An almost perfectly preserved 5-metre male was found washed up on a South Island beach in July. It was the first complete specimen ever recorded. There are only seven known sightings and never of life kicktooth whale.
New Zealand Whale Conservation Organization Anton van Helden said the whale’s broken jaw and bruising to the head and neck led scientists to believe head trauma may have caused the whale’s death.
In this photo provided by the New Zealand Department of Conservation, rangers inspect what is believed to be a rare kicktooth whale on July 5, 2024, after it was found washed up on a beach near Otago, New Zealand. (Department of Conservation via AP)
“We don’t know, but we suspect that there must have been some kind of trauma, but what caused it is anyone’s guess,” Van Helden said in a statement.
All species of beaked whales have different stomach systems, and researchers did not know how the beaked species processed its food.
The scientific team found that the specimen had nine stomach chambers containing remains of squid and parasitic worms, the statement said.
Among the more interesting finds were small rudimentary teeth in the upper jaw.
“These little teeth embedded in the gums tell us something about their evolutionary history. It’s remarkable to see this and it’s just something we had no idea about,” Van Helden said.
“It is a week that I will never forget in my life, it is certainly a highlight and it is the beginning of the stories surrounding this beautiful animal,” Van Helden added.
The dissection was also notable because scientists and curators worked with local Māori people to integrate indigenous knowledge and customs into every step of the process.
After the dissection, the local iwi, or tribe, will preserve the whale’s jawbone and teeth before putting its skeleton on display in a museum. 3D printing will be used to replicate the parts retained by the iwi.
To Māori, whales are a taonga – a precious treasure – and the creature is treated with the reverence accorded an ancestor.
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New Zealand is a hotspot for whale strandings, with more than 5,000 recorded cases since 1840, according to the Department of Conservation.
The first whale bones were found in 1872 on Pitt Island in New Zealand. Another discovery was made on an offshore island in the 1950s, and the bones of a third were found in 1986 on Robinson Crusoe Island in Chile.
